Historically, the English countryside has often been depicted as an overwhelmingly white, rural, and exclusive space. For many BPOC communities, the countryside may still feel inaccessible due to historical and cultural exclusion but also to other socio-economic factors, as depicted in various research.

The BPOC Photography Collective, which all its members are the first or second migrants to the UK, took a day trip to Devil's Dyke to explore through photography and conversations our thought and feelings towards the English Countryside.

From the first conversation about the project, we recognised that we are very heterogeneous. What unites us is not so much our identities as queers and BPOC persons but more our belief that photography is a powerful tool to challenge dominant narratives and attitudes. This project serves to counter the ideas of who belongs in the English countryside and even to question Englishness. We can testify on the power of socially engaged photographic practices to create more inclusive and diverse spaces.

The Outlooks on the English Countryside was created collaboratively. Addressing our intersectionality as both BPOC and Queer and our diverse locations across Sussex, and our desire that different communities will experience the project, the exhibition will be travelling from Colonnade House, Worthing, to the Jubilee Library in Brighton, ending as part of Black History Month celebrations at the Black and Minorities Ethnic Community Partnership Centre [BMECP]. The project and the exhibition were curated by Gil Mualem-Doron with Denis Njouwouo, Kevin Prince Stephen, Matheus de Simone, Nick Ford, and Pierre Monnerville.